I'm a changed Man!

Now that the chapter of my host family experience here in Madagascar is now over, it seems appropriate for me to list a few highlights (cultural indicators) from the experience that reminded me I';m not in America anymore.

1- The priceless look on my host mother's face my first night when I gave her a box of cookies and she discovered that they had been open...I got a little hungry.

2- Awkward communication with family and others in the village I wont list them. (Lost of frustration around gift giving the last few days).

3- The one year old peeing on the floor in the middle of lunch one day, and the awkward silence that followed.

4- Six-year-olds' taking care of two-year-olds'--a long way from the American daycare system.

5- Cutting a tomato and having my host mom tell me I'm really "smart." She must have had really low expectations.

6- The one-year-old playing with a knife and it was OKAY with everyone.

7- Eating whole fired little fish-for some reason a feeling of comfort came over me when I found out they fished them from the rice field...*Side note: all kinds of little edible creatures come from the rice field once rice is harvested...who knew...?

8- the mysterious light bulbs that hang from strings in a few houses, despite no electricity (I think ites a decoration/status thing)

9- Being told I look like a movie star / Prince Harry / David Beckham.

10- Hitting my head on everthing (i.e. doorways).

11- Eating lots of rice--once you accpet it, its not a meal without it.

12- The Sur'Eau bottles that began to line the shelf in the kitchen as weeks past. PC provides it to host families every week to clean cooking water and soak veggies. I was told it was being used.

13- A crazy Easter I'll never forget, known as "Mitsangasanga."

14-Putting Nicole in awkward sistuations during the first five weeks of language class--it took Fanjava a few weeks until she undertood my sense of humor.

15- On our first tech-trip Stan (the Env. PA) turning to me in the car and saying in broken English "yea...this is the enviornment" --he overheard me complaining about the roads.

16- The chicken that got in my room.

17- Cell phones -"Hello, Hello, Hello....*hang up*"

18- The intense Domie Games with the Family and Family friends.

19- The 1 pm afternoon radio soap opera.

20- the radio with one volume set at LOAD @ 4 in the morning.

In closing...I will MISS Mahitsitady.

SHOUT OUT!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER BRYAN

&

CHEERS TO JOANIE AND MIKE PERKINS...THEY ARE GETTING MARRIED THIS WEEKEND!

MISS YOU ALL!

best,
Brendan

My Site Visit--A Reality Check

Just a few words regarding my site visit last week.

Last Wednesday all our couterparts (the gatekeepers to our community) were flown from all over Madagascar for a little conference PC style. They met us (PC Trainees), learned about Peace Corps and its policies. After a short (it felt short) meet and greet. I hopped on a plane to Fort Dauphin. A popular tourist site and a future mining location (strip mining for a titanium deposit used to make white dyes). My village is about 60k north of Fort Dauphin in the commune of Saite Luce, made of three small villages (Manafiafy, Ambandrika, and Ampanasantomboka). My house is in Ambandrika. Its a small fishing community, with little farming. All I saw was Cassava (a tuber plant) with the occasional pineapple. They have a great need for the introduction of vegitables(any. Mal-nutrition in rampant, and healthcare is non-existent. I spent my last morning having a cup of coffee, trying not to focus on the little girl in front of me with flies swarming here burnt arm from when she fell on the fire. The mining company built a hospital, but it hasn't seen a doctor since it was contructed a few years ago(?). My NGO built a house and latrine to help attract a doctor. Anyway, enough of this....WELCOME TO THE PEACE CORPS

My site resembles nothing like the small rice community I've been training in. The soil is sand and trees are sparse because of deforestation. My NGO is working on reforstization projects (tree planting etc.).

Good news! My house is rather large and I had an opportunity to walk the 14K to Mahatalaky on Monday to see the weekly market. I was impressed with the variety of food and should have a rather varied diet with the vegtibles I'll be growing thrown into the mix. Also, PC will give me a bike so it should only be an hour ride, rather than a 6 hour walk both ways.

I was really impressed with the communities embrace. I was under the impression that I was requested by my NGO on the community's behalf. But I met with the President of Saite Luce and the Mayor of Mahatalaky--both very supportive. I was paraded around the three villages and introduced at formal meetings (my language is still really weak-so my kobary (speech) will wait till I get installed.

In closing, I have a lot of challenges ahead and I'm still processing the last five days. I'm also a little sick. I'm eager to take advantage of my five weeks of training, so I can "hit the ground running."
Sorry about any spelling/english mistakes-I hope it makes sense, I have no time to edit!

Best,

A Day in The Life.....

(typed on a french keyboard)

A glimpse into what my days look like during PC training.

My day usually begins at 5am, sometimes earlier depending on when the family gets up. I start by getting dressed, opening my shutters (all windows and doors are closed tight at night...has to do with a taboo about going out at night). My first trip is to the kabone (like an out-house, but with just a hole in the ground and two bricks for your feet) so I can empty my Po (a bucket with a lid used as a bathroom at night b/c I can\t leave my room). After I empty the Po in the Kobone, I go and grab my Tako (bucket) and make the 200m walk down a usually wet and slippery hill to the water hole, if my family has a Tako avalible I go with tow and save them one trip out of the 4 they make every morning. Going down is easy, its walking back up with two full buckets that always makes it interesting. When I get back, I re-fill my water filter and nalgene (nalgene gets two drops of Sur'Rue-Clorine). I gather my soap, bucket with the little water left, and towel and make way to the labozy (an enclosed structure for showering), stoping and picking up some left over hot water (sometimes rice water). Taking a bucket bath wasn't hard to get use to, the hard part is doing it efficiently. I think I have it down now....whcih brings up another point- Everything seems smaller in Mad-Car (chairs, doorways, all spaces really). Its not uncommon for me to hit my head 4-5 times a day, you would think I would learn. After The shower, I grab some food usually mofo vo ronono (bread and milk-fresh every morning form outback) finished with some sweet kafe. Classes run form 8am-12pm and 2-5pm covering everthing from gardening in the tropics, composting, green leguimes, agro-forestry techniques, Malagasy culture, and lanuage-and much, much more. Everthing is experiential based, which means we see it, we talk about it, and we do it. Classes usually run over in the morning and including the walk back home, usually only leaved an hour to eat rick with sometype of veg./bean before going back in the afternoon. After five, I have a little extra time with the language instructor. Im the only one learning the Atonosy dialect and my language time is split between another person-so i get half the time, but its one on one. It can also be nich after class to hand around an indulge in a conversation in english. It get frusterating only having a Malagasy vocab of a small child. Home by 6pm for dinner (rice, veg./bean again). The time spent during the meals usually consist on me pointing at things multiple times and sating "Inon ny" (What is...) My family doesn\t mind it now, but its only a matter of time until that gets real annoying. After dinner I practice vocab, sometimes we play a game-my family created a version of Uno, i think i\ll call it gasy-uno. I'm in bet by 8pm and do it all overagain....

Its still hard to grasp the idea that I\m in Madagascar, my focus has only been day to day, but it is without doubt a beautiful place!
Till Next time. I have about 20 PCVT waiting for this comp.

Velom eh!
-Brendan

In Washington DC

Quick Update: Made it to Washington DC, anxiety was super high this morning but doing much better now. I even took some time to visit a few Memorials in the Nation's Capital during a run in the 60 degree weather. I'm at staging with a large group about 30 people all Environmental Volunteers with the exception of a few working in a new small business development program. Just had my first anti-malarial pill (Metloquine), the side-affects are long...but the good news is I have access to a great Medical Team. All is well! Not sure when I'll be able to post next (I shouldn't have internet for at least three weeks)Best,

My Last Weekend in the U.S. of A.

I wanted to get this down before I forget anything. This past week has been wild. I was non-functional for 3 days because of a really bad cold and to top it off my last wisdom tooth started to come in.
Anyway, here are priceless moments from my last weekend in America for the next two years:

10) The look of the host/doorman's face at the authentic Italian Restaurant in Little Italy when he noticed Joe Sarno was walking-in.

9) "Its like a soccer ball," was Dan's reaction when he discovered Madagascar was an Island and not anywhere near Morocco.

8) Never making it to Hoboken (thank god).

7) Joe giving me a Gatorade the size of a small child in preparation for the two hour journey to see Johnny B. run the mile in Reading PA.

6) Pushing the gas tank empty limit further than ever before on the People's Car.

5) Coach Dude while at the Brass describing what it was like working in complete "darkness" for a year and deciding he needed to make a career change.

4) Joanie giving me a lecture on Birth Control over dinner, while Keria ate Mac n'Cheese off the table.

3) The world's ugliest Christmas vest.

2) Receiving complements at the bar while wearing the world's ugliest Christmas vest.

1) A random kid picking a fight with a dove (me) surrounded by hawks (my friends).

0) The awkwardness felt by all when Louis (random guy from the bar) discovered that Bear gave him a fake number.

-1) Discussing the formation and progression of Punk music starting with the year 1968 with Norris. It was as random as it sounds.

-2) The feeling of no control while Joe's SUV tires ripped up the AC practice field (while blasting AC/DC)

-3)Switching seats with Joe at Williamson’s Family Restaurant and as a result getting slapped in the back of the head by our waitress (Joe being Joe).

Application Process-Space Galaxy Quest Super Ride

This is the best way I can explain the PC application process....
An analogy (oddly enough) that came to me while in the car going to pick-up my grandmother for a “good-bye” dinner.

Imagine being in an Amusement Park. You’re wondering through the park, people are everywhere, the sun is out, and it’s warm, kids are running around, people are laughing, everyone's happy. It's a beautiful day.

You finally make your way to Future World, where they have the most realistic space ride ever created. This was the whole reason you came to the park in the first place, to experience the new and utterly amazing Space Galaxy Quest Super Ride (the one that everyone has been raving about). The outside architecture of the building resembles a mission control headquarters, something taken right out of the movie Armageddon (the movie about preventing the asteroid from hitting the earth). Just about everyone loves that movie, and as you can imagine everyone loves this ride. As you make your way through the entrance you start to feel your adrenaline pumping, your heart rate rising, hands start to sweat, everyone around you starts speaking louder out of excitement. The inspirational music pumping through the speakers in the background helps set the mood.

You feel great! Exuberant! Excited by the fact that you are finally going to get to experience the ride everyone has been talking about. You walk through a few mock displays; an engine room, an astronaut medical test facility, and flight suit simulation-all adding to the atmosphere and setting the tone for the space flight you are about to embark on.

Your brisk walk through the "cattle shoots" designed to usher you onto the ride comes to abrupt halt. Your first impression is that the wait can't be that bad. Feeling that you have already gotten through most of the "cattle shoot" without having to stop once, you are still feeling real good about the wait. As you wait in line, the two kids from the family in-front of you are fighting about who will get to be pilot during there space exploration ride. Playing along and enticing the imaginations of friends you start to divide positions as well; the engineer, the pilot, the navigator. The line inches, you wait, you inch up further, you wait longer, it moves a little further, and you wait little longer.

After waiting in-line for 30 minutes your feet start to ache from standing, but you try not to think about it. After 45 minutes, you start to feel the novelty of the ride erode as the pain from standing in-line starts to move into your calves and hamstrings. You start to think about all the other things you could be doing with the time you are wasting waiting in-line. After an hour your hamstrings start to pull on your lower back, you begin to think about how it’s very probable that you will lose sanity if you hear that inspirational song on re-peat one more time. As you get closer to the end of the line you start to see TV monitors every few feet informing participants about safety precautions. This of course is a good thing, but after the ninth and tenth time on repeat you start to become annoyed at the overfriendly female actor pretending to be a "Flight Safety Specialist." The grin you had walking into the ride entrance has transformed into an emotionless stare. You are no longer excited you’re eager, eager to get it over with. You think about how maybe you should have just gotten some ice cream and waited for everybody on the bench out-front. At least there you'd have the sun and fresh air.

Your doubts disappear quickly, as you finally turn the corner and see the line splits. You can see all kinds of commotion ahead. Any other thoughts you had become obsolete, and you start to feel excitement again. Its load, fog and strobe lights flash every few minutes. As you inch closer a gentleman dressed in a flight suit shouts for the next group. You move forward. He tells you to pay attention; you watch a brief introduction on a flat screen monitor. A giant sliding door opens behind him. You walk into a dark room. The door closes behind you and the large group that followed. The ride finally begins.

100% Honesty

Keeping with the theme. I am officially 100% nervous. The reality of the situation hit me hard today while I was cleaning and packing. It also hit hard when I received the itinerary for the in-country orientation.

The truth: Oh boy, this is going to be overwhelming!

I use to become irritated with people who would respond to the news of me joining the Peace Corps with the immediate question "you know its going to be hard, right?" The question was always intended to be harmless but after awhile it would really annoy me. As if the idea that this will be hard had never crossed my mind before , or that I had failed to completely rationalized the decision , or I had not fully conceptualize the reality of what I was volunteering to do.

The truth is that I was attracted to PC service (among many reasons) because of the challenge. The big joy accompanied with some anxiety today was getting a little glimpse of what the challenge early on is going to look like. Although the itinerary is vague it does make my stomach knot and muscles ache, a feeling I really haven't felt since having to wait for the sound of the gun moments before the start of the 4x800 at a big track meet in High School.

In an expedition you use topographical maps to follow ridge lines, scope valleys/peaks, find water sources and good camping locations. All can be done before experiencing or seeing any location along the route. We usually place a lot of trust in maps and hope they are correct. But the reality is that although we might be well prepared and everything well planned and executed. There will always be variables that are not in our control. A fallen tree, a dried up stream, an overgrown trail, the weather.

Somewhere in the middle of the spectrum between the things that are planned and those that are not, where the controllable clashes with the uncontrollable is where I find life to be not only the most enjoyable, but the most rewarding.

So, "you know its going to be hard, right?"

You better believe it will be.